Very inappropriate elimination!! I am going out of my mind!

This is a place to gain some understanding of cat behavior and to assist people in training their cats and dealing with common behavior problems, regardless of the method(s) used. Keep in mind that you may be receiving advice from other cat owners and lovers...not professionals. If you have a major problem, always seek the advice of a trainer or behaviorist!

Member Since 09/16/2013

Purred: Mon Sep 16, '13 8:39pm PST

About 9 months ago I noticed one of my cats was peeing on my clothes in the laundry baskets (clean or dirty, it didn't matter). He's gone on to peeing on my bedclothes, whether I'm in the be or not. Saturday I felt him walk up the be until he got beside me, he didn't try to wake me or get my attention in any way, but the next thing I knew I felt my back getting warm, and yep...he peed in the bed right beside me! Tonight I came up to bed after putting on fresh linens yesterday...pee all over the spot where I sleep!
He was checked out several months back and had 6 teeth removed due to dental disease. That stopped the peeing for about a week, the right back at it. I even consulted an animal communicator (how's that for desperation) who suggested a few things, and mentioned he may be needing more attention from me. I moved his scratching post and climber thingy so he could jump up onto my wardrobe...he loves it, but he's even more pee prone. My other 2 cats, both female do not do this at all.
I am desperate....I'm getting angry with him, and while I've not come anywhere near giving him a smack, I am afraid I may do so eventually. I don't want to get rid of him, but I am at my wits end!

Vet check first - when one of our fosters was doing this it turned out he had crystals and was in PAIN. Pain meds stopped the problem immediately. Another foster was just a stress case, and a teeny dose of prozac fixed the problem.

I also had a renal failure cat who liked to pee on soft things and I finally caved and just started putting towels in litterboxes for him to pee on, and washing them when they got soiled. It was easier to maintain than I thought, and since he was in renal failure the urine didn't really have a smell.

The website the previous posted linked to is also excellent, and a few of the most common suggestions would be...

-Add more litterboxes
-BIG litterboxes
-Keep them very clean
-Use Cat Attract litter
-Use an enzyme cleaner on soiled fabric to make sure no scent lingers

Thanks for the tips everyone, keep them coming! It also seem that he goes from actually squatting at peeing, to sometimes standing straight up and spraying. It doesn't help I'm sure, that my music teacher has six cats at her home, so my pipe case has had at least one of her kitties rub against it. I will have him checked out again for bladder and crystal issues, and maybe we both can share some Prozac!

Oh, that gives me one more idea. It happened to a friend of mine - her cat was standing up and the pee was shooting out of the box. It turned out the cat had a touch of arthritis and it hurt to squat. She put her on a course of Cosequin for joint pain and the problem was solved. If your cat gets cleared by the vet, that might be something to try.

IF it is a pain issue, or even if he's actually spraying but does it inside the box, you can also get a big storage tub and cut a door into it so you have a foot-tall, nice big box with a 6-8 inch wide "door" in it, so that if he pees up high it stays inside!

Defintely get checked for crystals or kidney issues. My FIV+ kitty Jayne used to do this as well, peeing in my clothing and such. He started peeing in the bed about two weeks before he went into renal failure (Sadly we could not help keep him comfortable, so he left us). Not meaning to scare you of course, but make sure there isn't something going on that would make him act like this.

how are your other cats treating him? your cat sounds like he is very insecure.

i battled this for years with Sassy. she pee'd on everything, and started pooping on the kitchen counter. it was crazy. she licked herself bald over stress. It turned out other cats stressed her out. she was never mean to them so i never noticed. Once Sassy was separated from other cats, her fur grew back and she quit peeing. something to think about.

WOW I thought I had it bad. I have one who pees on clothes (only if left on floor) My problem is the kids would leave their towel and clothes on bathroom floor after a shower and he would do it. Now, my son just laid a new tile floor in there and I painted, and bought a nice plushy rug for when you step out. But I have to keep the bathroom door closed or he pees on the new rug! The kids keep forgetting to shut the door. I'm looking for a good spray "pee deterent" to use there. Health issues are ruled out...its just a bad habit I think. Does anyone know of a product that works? OR a natural deterent?